Abdul Aziz Bari: I’m not out to oust Perak MB – Nation

IPOH: Perak DAP vice-chairman Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (pic) has denied he is the state executive councillor out to topple the Mentri Besar.

Denying Datuk Saarani Mohamad’s allegations, Abdul Aziz said the Perak opposition leader can be considered as having lied about the matter if Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu still remains the Mentri Besar until Wednesday (Dec 5), which is the last day of the state assembly sitting.

Abdul Aziz, who is also Tebing Tinggi assemblyman, said Saarani keeps harping on plans to oust the Mentri Besar, and had allegedly mentioned his name during the sitting.

“He said I am planning for a vote of no confidence against the Mentri Besar. For a vote of no confidence, one needs a solid 30 votes, and we in DAP are only 18.

“If he claims I approached five Umno assemblymen, that adds up to 23, so how about the seven more?

“It is impossible for one person to move the motion, as to do so, a resolution is needed from the Pakatan Harapan leadership,” he told a press conference on the sidelines of the state assembly sitting on Tuesday (Dec 4).

Abdul Aziz, a constitutional law expert, was commenting on Saarani’s hint earlier about the state executive councillor allegedly involved in the plot to oust the Mentri Besar.

“I think Saarani is ‘dizzy’ because all the parties in Pakatan have denied such a move, and this is just his cheap political gossip tactics,” he said.

On allegations of meetings with Umno assemblymen, Abdul Aziz said, of course, he meets them for normal chit-chat, and some of them also visit him at his office to discuss constituency matters.

He said that does not translate plans to topple the state government.

Abdul Aziz said his conscience was clear, and he had nothing to hide.

On whether he had met Ahmad Faizal over the matter, Abdul Aziz said four months ago, he had told the Mentri Besar that he was not here to bring him down.

He said because if that happens, then all of them would be going down as well.

Earlier, when Saarani made the allegations, Abdul Aziz was not inside the hall.

“Go and ask Tebing Tinggi (referring to Abdul Aziz) if he is the one who approached the Umno assemblymen in his efforts to oust Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu,” Saarani alleged during his winding-up speech.

He said this when Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin (Bersatu- Sungai Manik) challenged Saarani to reveal the name of the exco member who had allegedly met the Umno assemblymen.

Replying to the former Umno leader, who is now advisor to the Mentri Besar, Saarani said this is the moment everyone was waiting for.

He claimed the exco member concerned had met five of his assemblymen at five different locations in Perak and Kuala Lumpur between Nov 2 and Dec 1 to discuss plans to oust the Mentri Besar.

Recently Saarani claimed there was a possibility that state elections may be held due to an impending vote of no confidence against Ahmad Faizal.

He claimed trouble was brewing among the state exco members from the Pakatan government.

However, Ahmad Faizal had dismissed talk of any “coup” against him but Saarani remained adamant that there is a move to oust him.

Ahmad Faizal told reporters later on Tuesday that he would leave it to the Pakatan presidential council to discuss and take action over Saarani’s revelation.

He said as for the state Pakatan, he as the chairman, would not be taking any action at the moment.

When asked if he had got an explanation from Abdul Aziz over the matter, the Mentri Besar said:

“I have not asked Aziz Bari as yet. If any of my exco members do not follow party rules, I will ask them why, but for now, nothing like that has happened.”